July 2, 2021
Sometimes you have to say, “God, I don’t feel like doing this, but I will do it for You.” Or: “I think my boss is being unfair in telling me to do this, but, Lord, I’ll do it for You.” Or: “Somebody else made this mess and I shouldn’t have to clean it up, but, Lord, I will do it for You.”
The Bible puts it this way: “Whatever you do, do it with your whole heart – not as if you’re doing it only for people, but as if you’re doing it for the Lord.” (Colossians 3:23) And Jesus added this thought: “Pass the small tests. How will God be able to trust you with bigger things if you can’t handle the small things?” (See Luke 16:11)
Back to our favorite book: The Bible. I want to introduce you to a young man named Daniel …
When I think of someone with that spirit of excellence, I think of Daniel. As a teenager, he was taken from his home and brought to Babylon. The king had a youth leadership development program, and he had all these young people in training. The best of them – the sharpest, the brightest, and the most talented – were groomed to be the next generation of leaders.
They had to take special classes. They had a certain diet to eat and certain programs to follow. Now, the Babylonians worshipped idols. But Daniel made a vow to always honor God. Daniel was respectful, but he didn’t go along with what everyone else was doing. Maybe it seemed like a small thing – just a small test – but he always tried to honor God and do his best in everything.
Daniel 6:3 says, “Daniel so distinguished himself by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to put him over the whole kingdom.” Notice it doesn’t say: “Daniel was so mediocre he got promoted.” It says Daniel so distinguished himself by being exceptional. The Message translation put it like this: “Daniel completely outclassed the others.”
That’s what happens when, number one, you honor God and, number two, you have a spirit of excellence.
Even if everyone else does sloppy work, even if everyone else cuts corners, even if everyone else is undisciplined, you do like Daniel. You do like Daniel and make the choice to be excellent.
My question for you today is this: Are you distinguishing yourself and getting noticed? Are you going the extra mile? Are you doing more than you have to? Are you improving your skills?
Examine your life. We all have areas in which we can strive for excellence, whether it’s how we treat people, how we present ourselves, or how we develop our skills. Don’t let something small keep you from the big things God wants for you.